1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a telescopic shaft for a golf ball retriever. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a telescopic shaft for a golf ball retriever including shims positioned between the tubes to add rigidity to the telescopically-extended golf ball retriever.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf ball retrievers having a telescopically-extendable handle is well-known in the art. These telescopically-extendable handles include a plurality of hollow tubular members which are nested within each other. In order to allow the tubes to be extended and retracted with ease, a slight gap must be provided between each pair of concentrically-positioned adjacent tubes. However, the gaps between each pair of adjacent tubes allows the entire handle to flex under its own weight while in a fully-extended position. More specifically, the adjacent tubes flex primarily at the joints between each pair of adjacent tubes due to the gap between the tubes that is inherently required to allow the tubes to be slidingly-engaged with each other. This flex makes the golf ball retriever more difficult to manipulate and use. Thus, the objective is to provide a golf ball retriever which is light yet rigid, and is also easily extendable.
One attempt in the prior art to overcome this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,228 to Light. Light provides a cap which is placed in the end of each telescopic tube. The cap is said to provide a high degree of stiffness to the handle. Consequently, this allows the handle to be made with shorter tubes yet achieve the same maximum extended length as a handle which does not include the caps. However, this solution requires additional parts by way of the caps and a C-clip necessary to lock each into cap into the end of each tube. These additional parts add to the overall weight of the handle and also inevitably make the handle more expensive due to the additional material costs and additional manufacturing time required to assemble these additional parts.
Thus, there remains a need for a telescoping handle for a golf ball retriever which is light, easy to manufacture, and requires few additional parts, yet which is structurally-reinforced so that it is sufficiently rigid while in an extended state.
The present invention, as detailed hereinbelow, seeks to fill this need by providing a telescopic shaft for a golf ball retriever including shims positioned between the tubes.